


Gratitude Knit

by Atsvie



Category: Daredevil (Comics), Spider-Man (Comicverse)
Genre: Fluff, Knitting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 18:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1658180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atsvie/pseuds/Atsvie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter takes up knitting initially to bond with Aunt May, but now he has this hat--if you sort of squint--and needs a new home for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gratitude Knit

**Author's Note:**

> The hat Peter attempts at can be found [here](http://www.purlbee.com/thank-you-hats/)

Peter initially takes up knitting because he feels like he should spend more time with Aunt May. When she had asked if he would like to learn, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse her, even if he had wanted to say no. He’s a senior in high school and superhero by night—and sometimes day, a lot of times day, actually—and so knitting doesn’t exactly fit into the persona he’s created for himself. But Peter doesn’t mind, he loves his Aunt and figures that he’ll find a use for the skill somewhere.

He does have to lend some credit to his Aunt, being that without her, he wouldn’t have the suit that he does now. His Spider-Man suit had taken not only a lot of careful thought in design, but stitching it together took even more precise skill. Gender stereotypes be damned, he’s glad he’s learned to sew and knitting can’t be that much harder.

Except when it is. Aunt May tells him to sit down and starts to explain the mechanics behind the basic techniques in a warm voice, glancing up every so often to make sure that he’s nodding at the appropriate times. She smiles, hands him a large ball of bright red yarn and two knitting needles, and tells him about the gossip at her work and how they’re predicting snow within the next week. 

Peter comments occasionally, awkwardly working with what’s supposed to be a ribbed hat. His fingers slip over the needles and he finds himself furrowing his brows as he thinks of the pattern, trying to copy the fluid movements of his aunt’s hands. The stitches are too loose at the beginning and progressively get too tight, but by the time he has a swatch of fabric in hand, he feels like he may be getting the hang of it.

"The pattern is a thank you hat," she tells him, a small, wistful smile playing on her lips, "So make sure you give it to someone that deserves a thank you."

"Will do," Peter says, holding up the lumpy knit hat. It had taken a few hours with Aunt May’s instruction, but it still turned out uneven and hardly resembling a hat. Would that be cruel to give someone that when it’s so poorly made?

Well, he has to do something with it.

Aunt May just tells him that he’ll have to practice more, and that she thinks he can knit up a lovely scarf next time.

* * *

Peter has friends, he really does. But maybe he does tend to lean toward the loner side and finds himself wondering who he’s going to pass this pseudo-hat off onto for Christmas. And as ridiculous as it is, the more that he looks at the thing, the more reluctant he is to give it away to just anyone.

If he’s honest with himself, he spends a lot of his time with the other masked red hero. He doesn’t particularly think that Matt would want his poorly knit hat, but he does have a lot to be thankful for toward Matt. Saving one’s life and vice versa builds that kind of relationship, he thinks. So it’s a possibility, that maybe he could surprise Matt with the hat for Christmas.

It’s his first project, so it’s bound to be a bit shaky. But he had spent time on it, put in his best effort and that’s something to be proud of. Becoming attached to the red hat doesn’t help him much, though, because the entire point is that he’s trying to find it a good home.

Peter really questions what he’s doing with his life when he thinks about the hat like he would giving away a dog.

* * *

"You know, it’s strangely quiet with the holidays approaching."

Peter lands next to him with a graceful hop, swinging off the web and onto the ground of the alleyway. Matt acknowledges his entrance with a slight nod and he thinks for a moment that he sees a hint of a smile, but Matt pokes his head around the corner before he can be sure.

"Are we tracking someone?" Peter asks, leaning so that he can peek around the corner as well. Of course Matt is out doing his Daredevil thing when it feels like it’s below zero out with the snowy winds belting his face. Instead of getting ready for the holiday with his family—Peter doesn’t ask because he thinks that it probably isn’t something Matt wants to talk about.

But he is still a bit concerned that Matt is out in the cold, alone.

"It isn’t exactly tracking when you’re screaming," Matt says in a low voice, and Peter clamps a hand over his mouth with a muffled, ‘sorry.’

"Well that can’t be much fun for the Christmas cheer," Peter murmurs through his hand, "Aren’t you cold?"

Matt shrugs and Peter suddenly has an idea. He had brought the hat with him just in case, stuffed in his bag with his civilian clothes, and if this isn’t an opportune moment then he doesn’t know what is. He digs through the bag, retrieving the knitted hat and holds it out to him. “Here, I have something for you.”

He smiles a little shyly, thankful that Matt can’t see his expression.

"What is it?" Matt asks, reaching out to take the hat from him. He frowns, a confused expression as he runs his fingers over the yarn. "You knit? Is this a glove?"

Peter is just going to pretty that’s a blind thing.

"Now I do. My aunt is teaching me. And it’s a hat, thank you very much," Peter huffs, before adding softly, "It’s my first try. You don’t have to wear it, you just seem cold and it’s the Christmas season so…yeah."

God, he feels like such a dork. Because there’s no mistaking the smile this time, Matt seems genuinely happy that he tried to knit him a hat even if it’s obviously awful. And it’s that smile that has his cheeks coloring under his mask, and yet Peter still feels like he’ll be able to feel the heat from his face from there.

"I like it," Matt smiles, and it’s a little dazzling, he should do that more—actually no, because Peter might find himself swinging into buildings. "Thank you, Peter. Just what I need to fight crime," he teases.

"I could make you a scarf too," Peter says, and it’s like there’s carbonation in his veins, all bubbly and saturated. He shifts his weight to one foot, trying not to fidget. "I mean, if you wanted a scarf. That could be a thing."

"I wouldn’t mind a matching set from Spidey himself," Matt nods and it’s actually a little ridiculous how much of a teenager Peter feels right now. Because apparently he’s wooing Matt Murdock with knitted apparel, apparently that _is_ a thing now.

"Right, well ah, I should, needles," Peter stammers, raising a finger before lowering it quickly, "Knitting I mean. Should start that. Okay. Bye, Matty!"

He’s totally that eloquent, really. Matt laughs quietly when he makes his escape with a quick web to the next building, and it suddenly doesn’t feel too much like winter because the heat of embarrassment is keeping him more than warm enough.

And now that Peter thinks of it, he should really make him a better hat. With darker red yarn. And devil horns.

* * *

"Matt, I know you’re blind, but you do know something is on your head, right?" Foggy asks when the redhead comes into the office the next day, wearing the hat that Peter had given him. He could feel how uneven it is and doesn’t need to make out the visual details to know wearing it with his suit looks ridiculous. But they don’t have a case today and he honest to god likes it.

It’s a little itchy and apparently awful, and Matt still wears it like a little token of Peter’s affection.

"Oh I had no idea," Matt says too cheerfully, sitting down to read over the braille documents. "Funny how things just appear like that."

Foggy scoffs, but Matt knows he’s dying to ask so he beats him to it. “It was a gift.”

"Must be a cute one if she tried to knit for you," the other lawyer hums appreciatively, "Are we finally onto another girlfriend?"

"Something like that," Matt smiles, tugging off the hat, keeping it in his lap as he works.


End file.
